Five things to know about the Madrid quarters: Sabalenka, Andreeva to play

MADRID -- The quarterfinals are set at the fifth WTA 1000 tournament of the season and first on clay at the Mutua Madrid Open. The matches will be played across Tuesday and Wednesday, with the semifinals looming on Thursday. 

Madrid 2024: Order of Play | Draws | Scores

Top Half: Tuesday

[1] Iga Swiatek vs. [11] Beatriz Haddad Maia (2-1), Not before 12:30 p.m. local
[18] Madison Keys vs. [8] Ons Jabeur (0-2), Not before 8 p.m. 

Bottom Half: Wednesday

Yulia Putintseva vs. [4] Elena Rybakina (2-0)
Mirra Andreeva vs. [2] Aryna Sabalenka (0-1)

Five things to keep in mind as the quarterfinals unfold at the Caja Magica:

Swiatek and Rybakina maintaining their composure

The two winningest players on tour this season are looking as relaxed as they have been imperious. Swiatek has lost only eight games on her way to her second Madrid quarterfinal. Of the six sets she's played, she's lost no more than one game in five of them. Rybakina hasn't been far off. She's riding a seven-match winning streak and has lost 15 games. Even more importantly, the tour's leader in three-set matches hasn't had to play one so far. 

Swiatek even took a full day off on Sunday. 

"I went to eat some great seafood," the No.1 said after her 6-1, 6-0 win over Sorribes Tormo. "I was at the park. Just walking around, looking for something to shop."

Rybakina, who leads the tour in wins (29), finals (5) and titles (3) has seemed more relaxed than she is normally, which is a feat in itself.

"I think this year is a bit different, the approach, from last year," Rybakina told WTA Insider. "The most important thing for me last year was to stay healthy. I kind of played all the tournaments and I got experience. 

"Now, I'm maybe more calm at these later stages of the tournament. Of course you're always nervous when you're coming out on the court, but you're managing the emotions and nerves a little bit better. I think that's all just the experience. So far, happy with how it's going."

Andreeva thriving as a student of the game

We use the word 'prodigious' to describe young players with results that outshine their young age. But in 17-year-old Andreeva's case, what sets her apart from her peers is her court IQ. There's a quiet craft to her baseline game, one that seems to flow effortlessly.

"I always knew kind of how to play," Andreeva said after her straight-sets win over Jasmine Paolini to make her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal. "I never had trouble on court because I didn't know how to play or where to play. I also watch a lot of tennis. I don't remember one day without tennis, just highlights or matches."

While she was sidelined with injury earlier in the spring, Andreeva kept herself occupied by watching old highlights from Stefanie Graf, Martina Navratilova, Martina Hingis, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

"I even watch my matches to analyze. But I only watch the matches that I won," she said, laughing. "I never watch the matches that I lost."

Jabeur finds her spark on and off the court

Jabeur returned to the site of her greatest triumph looking to rediscovery her magic. The 2022 champion found it. For the first time this season, Jabeur won back-to-back matches at a tournament. Then, in the fourth round, she found her best level of the season to beat Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets. She's feeling so good that, toward the end of a lengthy press conference, she waived off the moderator's call for final questions and asked to keep going. 

After being asked about the pay disparity between men's and women's sports, Jabeur pivoted the conversation to one demanding equal respect, treatment and exposure.

"We don't have the opportunity to watch a lot of women's sports in general, which is changing right now," Jabeur said, "but I think we are 2024, we need more than that.

"I feel as a woman playing, for me, inspiring a whole new generation, for example, here in Spain, I would love to go to the hotel and open the TV and see a woman's tennis match. I haven't seen once, one tennis match of a woman. Obviously I understand there are a lot of Spanish playing, but asking for one match? Even the female Spanish they are not even showing.

"For me it's really frustrating to see that. How can you inspire young girls without showing any match in that?"

Sabalenka forged into form

The two-time Madrid champion was open about her dip in form since the Australian Open. Before the tournament, Sabalenka was asked about the tour's dominance at the top in Swiatek, Rybakina and herself. 

"I feel like I kind of dropped my level a little bit with this big three," Sabalenka said. "I feel like it's the big two last month."

But after a trio of hard-fought three-set wins over Magda Linette, Robin Montgomery, and most impressively, No.15 Danielle Collins in the fourth round, Sabalenka has thrown her hat right back in the ring. Facing down the hottest player on tour on Monday night, Sabalenka could have combusted. She came within a point of falling behind by a set and a break to the streaking American. 

Instead, she ran off six consecutive games by sheer force of will. She beat Collins by hitting 39 winners to just 20 unforced errors, an incredible ratio for a player with her power. 

Putintseva enjoying her full-circle moment

Putintseva is doing her best to rewrite her memories in Madrid. Two months ago, she was connecting through the city on her way to Indian Wells when her luggage and documents were stolen while she was checking into a hotel. And while there's no cause-and-effect here, it's hard not to notice that she's been 11-2 ever since. She's beaten four Top 20 players over that span and made back-to-back WTA 1000 quarterfinals in Miami and Madrid

"Madrid is bringing me back what it took," Putintseva told WTA Insider after her three-set win over No.10 seed Daria Kasatkina in the fourth round.

"I like the courts here, I've always liked playing here. I like the crowd, they're always supporting me so well. One of my favorite players from here, Rafa of course, is a big inspiration. I'm just trying to enjoy it and do my best every single day."